Publisher's description: "No account of contemporary politics can ignore religion. The liberal democratic tradition in political thought has long treated religion with some suspicion, regarding it as a source of division and instability. Faith in Politics shows how such arguments are unpersuasive and dependent on questionable empirical claims: rather than being a serious threat to democracies' legitimacy, stability and freedom, religion can be democratically constructive. Using historical cases of important religious political movements to add empirical weight, Bryan McGraw suggests that religion will remain a significant political force for the foreseeable future and that pluralist democracies would do well to welcome rather than marginalize it."

The book "[a]pplies the moral and philosophical claims to political Islam and the American Christian Right, encouraging readers to rethink how we should view these challenging political movements".

Endorsement: "Bryan McGraw offers a judicious argument for a new integration of religion and politics. Silencing religion as some liberals would do is no less fundamentalist than establishing religion as some Christians have done, he shows. It is far better for modern democracies to foster open toleration and robust engagement of all forms of faith and non-faith that can test and contest each other's policies. It is also far better for modern faith communities to develop an integrated political theology that balances responsible self-rule with reasonable public advocacy – following the example of several nineteenth-century European religious groups. Political historians and political philosophers will learn much from these learned and elegant pages." (John Witte Jr., Emory University)

Bryan T. McGraw is Assistant Professor of Politics and International Relations at Wheaton College.

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Political Theology Agenda (Archive)

Conferences, CFPs, Books, Journals: The Political Theology Agenda was run by the Sussex Centre for the Individual and Society (SCIS) in order to facilitate the exchange on political theology and political theologies across boundaries, be they confessional (or non-confessional), disciplinary, national, cultural, generational, philosophical, etc. It aims to enhance dialogue and comparison between the various traditions of political theology and raise awareness of each other and alternative approaches. It serves to disseminate information on research, publications, and events and hopes to introduce new people to political theology and raise the academic and public profile of political theology and political theologies worldwide.

Sussex Centre for the Individual and Society (SCIS)

The Sussex Centre for the Individual and Society (SCIS) is an international research centre, independent from the University of Sussex, but founded in 2006 by doctoral candidates and young reseachers at the university. Since 2009, SCIS is constituted as an international association under Swiss law, based in Geneva. Our research follows three main lines of inquiry: 1) study of the individual; 2) study of collectivisms; and 3) comparative and cross-cultural studies. The core research programme of SCIS centres around four broad, though interrelated areas: 1) anti-egalitarian and anti-democratic thought and practice; 2) new political forms and theory emerging in the 21st century; 3) the anti-liberal project of political theologies; and 4) development studies and failure of democratization.